The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-01-20

of the treaty of 1854 was such as to lead Con-
gress. with great unanimity, to terminate 1t;
and the experience Of the United States under
such so-called reciprocity as was provided Tor by
the treaty of 1871. was such as to lead both
houses. with very great unanimity, to terminals
that. Each OF these instances continued long
enough to show fully the general working OF the
arrangement. The great balance of gain and
advantage appeared to be in favor of the
Canadians, while the great balance of loss and
disadvantage fell on the people Of the United
States.
'From the Investigations made by the com.
mittee during the last summer and fail, and as
the result of the great mass of testimony taken
by it, the committee believe it to be clear, be-
yond all dispute, that the right to fish within
three miles of the Dominion shoreo is of no
practicable advantage whatever to American
fishermen. As regards the obtaining Of bait for
this class of fishing the testimony taken by the
committee in its inquiries clearly demonstrates
that there is necessity whatever for Ameri.
can fishermen to resort to Canadian waters for
that purpose. It was also proved before tho
committee that. with the rarest exception, 1T
would be absolutely injurious to the pecuniary
interests of all concerned for American vessels
TO resort to Dominion ports or waters, except
when in need or distress for the time taken in
such departures from the cod and hahbut
grounds, or from direct sailing to and from them,
is so great that, with or without the differences
of port expenses, time and money are both lost
in such visits. As regards commercial
and other friendly business intercourse be-
tween ports and places in the Dominion
and the United States, it is of course, of much
Importance that regulations affecting the came
should be mutually reasonable and fairly admin
istered. If an American vessel should happen
to have caught cargo of fish at sea, hundred
miles distant from some Canadian port, from
which there is railway communication TO the
United States, and should be denied the privi-
lege of landing and shipping its cargo therefrom
to the United States, as the Canadians do, it is,
of course, a serious disadvantage, and there Is,
it is thought nothing in the treaty of 1918 which
would warrant such an exclusion. But the Do
minion laws may make such distinction, and Ia
is understood that in fact, the privilege of SO
shipping fish from American vessels has been re-
fused during the last year. 1t is also incon-
venient and injurious that American vessels OF
any character, whether engaged in fishing. or
licensed to touch and trade, or purely mercan--
tile vessels, should be unable, in cases
Of Of occasional necessity sto resort to
of buying supplies or any commodities that the
ordinary laws of the Dominion allow to be ex-
ported at all Several instances of such I'M furious
and unfriendy action appear to have taken
place. The treaties between the United States
and Great Britain on the subject Of intercom-
munication and the rights of citizens and sub
jects in the ports and territories of the
other, have not included the British Dominion
of North America with possibly certain excep-
tions to intercourse by iand), and such inter-
course. strangely enough. still remains the sub
ject of legislation merely in the two countries.
Such legislation. to be tolerabe. must be NUT
ually friendly ana reciprocal, and laws upon the
subject must be administered fairly and gener-
ously, and not iE a spirit of carping at small
matters, or in any otherwise unfriendly way. The
committee is panied to believe that such has not
been the course of British legislation or Of adj
ministrative practice" The committee in con-
clusion, recommend the passage Of the bill re-
ported.